1. Technical Field
This invention relates generally to protective hoods for animals. More specifically this invention relates to a protective head cover for animals to warm the ears of newborn bovine calves in particular so as to prevent the ears from becoming frostbitten or from freezing due to cold weather, which causes irreparable damage not only to the calves themselves but also to the value of the calves on the market.
2. Description of the Related Art
In northern climates, domestic animals such as cows often birth their young in the open leaving them exposed environment which when the weather is extremely cold will often damage the ears of the newborn animals if steps are not taken to protect the ears of the animals. The ears of the animals may become frostbitten resulting in the animals losing their ears which could substantially devalue the worth of the animals since appearance of the animals tend to have a psychological affect on the attitudes of the buyers of the animals especially for breeding purposes. A calf having lost at least a portion of an ear or ears will not be worth as much on the market as a calf having two good ears.
Various types of hoods have been developed to protect the head of an animal and to protect other areas of the body of the animal. However, none of the hoods or prior art describes or suggests the protective head cover of the present invention.
One known prior art is a STRETCHABLE ONE-PIECE HOOD, U.S. Pat. No. 4,823,540, comprising a sleeve fitted about the neck and head of .a horse and having ear, eye, and muzzle, openings for training the mane and polishing the coat.
Another known prior art is a PROTECTIVE BONNET FOR ANIMALS, U.S. Pat. No. 3, 753,334, comprising straps connected to a pair of bands and further comprising a sheet of material adapted to bulge outwardly from the face of the animal.
Another known prior art is a REFLECTIVE HEAT INSULATING COATING FOR ANIMALS. U.S. Pat. No. 2,826,169, comprising a covering about the major portion of the outer surface of the animal.
Another known prior art is a GARMENT FOR LONG-EARED DOGS, U.S. Pat. No. 2,136,115, a pair of upwardly opening flexible pockets in which the ears of the dog can hang.
Another known prior art is a HORSE BLANKET AND HOOD APPARATUS, U.S. Pat. No. 4,214,421, comprising improved strap and strap closure assemblies for connecting the blanket and the hood to the horse.
None of the prior art disclosed describes or suggests a protective hood which lays the ears of the animal nondeformably back against the animal's own neck without distorting the ears in any way so that the ears can be warmed from the heat generated by the animal's own body. There is a definite need for a protective head cover which will substantially warm and protect the ears of especially newborn calves by not deforming the ears and by using the natural heat emitted by the bodies of the animals and by not shutting off the blood circulation through the ears as is possible with the prior art.